Prior art network management systems typically provide a network model, stored in a database, representing a current configuration of a communications network. Planners can use this model to plan changes and enhancements to the network. After such changes have been implemented in the network, the network model may then be updated to reflect the new configuration of the network.
However, planned changes may often be specified in an ad hoc, informal manner, which does not relate directly to the specific details of the network model. For example, notes may be added to a network model describing future planned modifications. However, if planned modifications are not defined sufficiently rigorous, it can be difficult for other users of the network management system to understand the exact nature of the planned changes. Also, this approach does not provide a planner with a clear picture of how planned changes will affect the network.
In some cases, a network planner may modify the network model directly to see how planned changes will affect the network, but this results in the network model no longer corresponding to the actual operational network. To address this, a planner may instead use a copy of the network model database to plan changes. However, it can then be difficult to merge changes made in the copy (of the network model database) back into the main model. If multiple planners are working on the model independently, each planner may need a separate copy of the database, exacerbating the problem of collating the planned changes. Also, the entire database may have to be locked if a planner wishes to transfer changes from a copy over into the main operational model database, affecting other users of the network management system.
There is thus a need for addressing these and/or other issues associated with the prior art.